


I Should Be Over All The Butterflies

by Memories_of_the_Shadows



Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types
Genre: Childhood Friends, First Crush, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Reveal, The Author Regrets Nothing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-05
Updated: 2020-06-05
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:54:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24559495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Memories_of_the_Shadows/pseuds/Memories_of_the_Shadows
Summary: They're probably going to have a long talk after this, but Ariane doesn't regret revealing that Andersstillhas a crush.
Relationships: Anders/Finn (Dragon Age), Ariane & Finn (Dragon Age)
Kudos: 2





	I Should Be Over All The Butterflies

**Author's Note:**

> The title is from "Still Intø Yøu" by Paramore.
> 
> I do not consent to my work being hosted on any unofficial apps, especially any with ad revenue and subscription services, or any website other than ao3 unless I personally cross-posted a work.

“Oh, I know you!” says a man, sounding like he is just on the edge of Anders’ makeshift campsite, and Anders grimaces. He knew he should have stopped and picked some blood lotus at that last lake, but he likes his natural hair color and it’s been _years_.

Opening his eyes, Anders sees a surprisingly well-kept, brunet man in a sturdy looking overcoat that’s practically blazing with enchantments. He honestly is very surprised at just how tidy the man is, they’re days from any sort of civilization on all sides, that’s why Anders thought it’d be okay to nap here for a bit. An elven woman hovers behind him, her armor muddied to take the shine off, and her hand resting menacingly on her sword.

She reminds him of Velanna, with that glare. It’s almost enough to make him homesick.

(He’d _tried_ to go back, after the mess in Kirkwall, after he’d spent a good year and change trying to get something-- _anything_ \--to change after he blew up Kirkwall’s Chantry. Nothing did, and by the time he’d given up and trudged his way back to Vigil’s Keep not only was the Keep a home for ghosts only but the mages had finally risen up, not because they finally saw that not all battles can be won with paperwork, but because there is a _cure_ for Tranquility but only the Lord Seeker knows it.

His life. He can practically hear his father call him worthless again.)

“Right, well, I guess I should move along, have a good day,” Anders says, casually getting up and dusting off his coat, not making eye contact. He’s not _exactly_ infamous enough that everyone knows him, but he’s pretty sure his likeness was passed around the different Circles’ Templars after what happened in Kirkwall, and the Chantry has been known to use bounty hunters before when it comes to known Templar-killers.

At least this time he _earned_ the moniker, rather than being inconveniently alive after the Templars who captured him were killed by darkspawn. It probably didn’t help that he’d picked the lock to deal with the darkspawn himself, not that Mhairi or Aukusti ever asked how he’d gotten out of the cell.

“Wait, wait! Don’t you remember me?” The man sounds a bit put out.

Anders flicks his eyes over the man again, this time taking note of the staff on his back, as well as large, brown eyes and a familiar, deeply unfortunate hat that Anders hasn’t seen in over a decade peeking out of a stuffed satchel. He stares.

“Flor-- Sorry, sorry, _Finn_ , it’s been a while.” A long while. And somehow, Anders never expected to see him outside of the Circle, even though all the Circles are in revolt and he’s fairly sure he heard that Kinloch Hold burned.

“Yes, hello again Anders! It’s nice to see you too,” Finn says, with irrepressible good humor, far from the picky, grumpy, terribly fastidious Circle mage Anders had known. It’s a good change, and if Anders wasn’t sure that he’d long overstayed this clearing’s welcome, he’d want to stay and chat for a bit.

“You were about to call him ‘Flora’, weren’t you?” the elf says, glaring at Anders though with a mischievous smile playing around her lips. “Finn, did he used to call you ‘Flora’?” She sounds innocent enough but Anders doesn’t trust that tone of voice any farther than he could throw her. _Without_ magic.

Finn grumbles, and for a minute Anders is back in Kinloch, listening to him complain because that way Finn won’t notice the pining. Everybody else had, but that was okay, nobody said anything and then he’d escaped again. By the time the Templars had dragged him back it had seemed too late to have the same relationship and then, well, then there was Karl. “Fine, fine, yes, he probably was, Ariane, if you _must_ know. Anders was the one who came up with it. Oh, right, right, Anders, this is Ariane of the Dalish clan Corri, Ariane, this is Anders, formerly of Kinloch Hold. He’s the one I told you about, who swam the lake.”

Ah, yes, the lake. Anders had been rather proud of that one. “Andaran atish’an, Ariane. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” he says wondering if she’s going to make fun of his accent like Velanna and Merrill did--though he’s fairly sure Merrill didn’t mean anything cruel by it, whereas Velanna certainly did.

Instead, her eyes light up and she looks very pleased. “Andaran atish’an, mage Anders. Ma serannas for the kind greeting.” Ariane turns to Finn and shoves his arm a bit. “I like this one, he’s much nicer than _you_.”

“You were _breaking_ the spine,” Finn mutters. “Anyway, he’s only nice until he gives you a terrible nickname and then disappears, leaving you to deal with the cruelty of children all by yourself,” he says, the smile and the playful sticking out of a pink, wet tongue that Anders tries not to look at too closely only barely softening the jibe.

He winces. “I like flowers, they smell like freedom,” he mumbles, not even really trying to defend himself, “and, anyways, you told me to call you Finn, and I didn’t slip up again, did I?”

Everyone is quiet for a moment and then Ariane laughs hysterically. “Oh, _oh_ ,” she manages to wheeze out, “I get it, oh, _Creators_ , this is too much.” Finn sends her a look that is clearly questioning her sanity, Anders hopes his face isn’t as red as it feels.

“I don’t get it, is this like that time you and Aukusti wouldn’t tell me why needing to polish my staff--which was actually dirty, I might add, there could have been a bloodstain if I hadn’t been so quick--was funny?” Finn says, looking between the two. Anders is now very sure his face is as red as it feels, even as he huffs out a brief laugh. “Oh, not you _too_ ,” Finn complains, crossing his arms over his chest.

“This is _exactly_ like that time,” Ariane says, wiping the tears from her eyes, holding her ribs. Anders hopes her face hurts from smiling too much. “‘Oh, Finn,’” her voice gets all high and breathy, “‘you smell pretty, like flowers, and the outdoors, and freedom: which I love so much that I’ll swim that disgusting, polluted lake to get.’” Ariane grins at Anders, just as evil as Velanna ever was; he’s sorry he ever thought better of her, “did I get it right?”

Anders frowns but the blush doesn’t go away at all. “No?” he tries, and it sounds exactly as unconvincing as it feels.

Ariane bursts into more hysterical laughter, gasping for breath. Anders hopes she suffocates.

“Wait, he had a crush on me?” Finn asks Ariane, who wheezes. “You had a crush on _me_?” he directs to Anders, who would much rather swallow his own tongue than answer that question.

“Try--” a gasping, wheezing breath, “‘have,’” Ariane manages.

“‘ _Have_ ’?” Finn yelps and goes almost as red as Anders.

They stare at the ground by each other’s feet for a bit, Anders’ blush stubbornly staying the course--and, from the glances he steals, so does Finn’s--while Ariane slowly dissolves into hiccups and intermittent giggles.

“Right,” Finn says, almost firm. “So. What are you doing? Going to join the rebels?”

Pretend like it never happened. Right. Anders can manage that. He takes a deep breath through his nose. “No, I, uh, was actually looking for the Wardens. Vigil’s Keep stands empty. I thought that maybe they were a contingent in the upcoming peace talks? I haven’t heard any word though.”

“Oh, we’re going to Haven as well. But I think we’re running a bit late, I heard in the last town that they started the talks about two days ago.”

“Oh.” Anders blushes again, setting off another giggle fit in Ariane. He wants to ask to go along with them, safety in numbers, actual companionship, and maybe they could eventually talk about it, but Anders is trouble and he knows it. Best not to get anyone else involved. “I should--” he starts, gesturing over his shoulder that he should leave.

“You should come with us!” Finn interrupts, big, brown eyes wide and pleading.

Anders crumbles, saying, “I’d love to,” before he can think better of it. Ariane hiccups and giggles.

Finn’s smile is bright as the sun as he starts babbling about new spirit healing techniques.

**Author's Note:**

> I just wanted something good and super fluffy and I love Finders, here is the result. With yet more touches of my Anders headcanons!
> 
> If you'd like, come visit me on [tumblr](https://sachinighte.tumblr.com/)!


End file.
